RIDING THE HEAT WAVE - Ashley and Carissa, vacationing in San Diego from Iowa, were finishing up their surf lessons at the Pacific Beach Drive break as the sun set on Aug. 6. Soaring heat has scorched San Diego the past few weeks and has warmed the ocean to a record-breaking 78.8 degrees, which is nine degrees above the typical temperature for this time of year. / THOMAS MELVILLE / BEACH & BAY PRESS

Annual count in Pacific Beach needs volunteers
Nonprofit beautifulPB is seeking volunteers and offering free swag from the group to do a count of cars, bikes, pedestrians, scooters, etc. on Saturday, Aug. 11 from 3 to 5 p.m.
Volunteers will meet at the corner of Cass and Felspar streets.
“This is our fourth annual count and still the only multimodal traffic count in San Diego County,” said Chris Olson of beautifulPB.
Annual PB counts monitor how people travel on key roads in Pacific Beach, and are conducted by volunteers led by beautifulPB members. Counts help shed light on how people move around in the beach community, while helping to determine what can be done to make travel safer and easier.
Count volunteers use tally sheets to track the number of people walking, biking, driving and using alternative transportation, like skateboards, over a two-hour period. BeautifulPB compiles the count data, and shares the results with the community. The count is conducted at more than 20 locations throughout town.
Past counts have shown the majority of people — 68 percent — traveling by car with 25 percent walking, 6 percent riding bikes and 1 percent using other forms of transport.
During the traffic count in 2017, more than 2,800 cars were counted on Grand Avenue during a two-hour span. By contrast, fewer than 500 cars were counted during the same time interval at other PB locations.
However, traffic modes are mixed on many PB streets. At 12 locations, 40 percent or more of traffic was people walking, biking or using other travel modes. Nearly every street counted had at least 100 people walking, biking or using other transportation.
Nearly half of all traffic on Garnet Avenue was people walking. The count found bicyclists often ride on sidewalks instead of the street. More than twice as many people rode illegally on the sidewalk along Garnet Avenue than in the bike lane on Grand Avenue.
Survey call for all PB business owners
G4 Strategies, in partnership with Discover Pacific Beach, has created a survey to provide economic insight and greater public awareness of Pacific Beach's business community and its economic value to the San Diego region.
Participation will help the business improvement district better serve the PB business community’s interests at city hall, and improve the economic climate in Pacific Beach.
The survey is free, online, and takes only a few minutes to complete. The survey was released Aug. 6 and will run until Aug. 20.
The higher the survey response rate received, the more accurate and useful the survey data will be for PB business owners and the public at-large.
The survey is free to take for any PB business owner and is available on pacificbeach.org, click on business survey.
Brazil Day canceled
Due to financial difficulties, what would have been the 11th Brazilian Day San Diego, Fair and Parade, which annually draws 50,000 guests and would have been held the second Sunday in September, has been canceled.
“We couldn’t get enough funding to put the event on the way it’s been,” said event organizer Paulo Batuta, noting some of the funding to stage the parade and fair comes from Brazil itself.
Batuta said elections this year in Brazil, coupled with a political scandal involving the government, have combined to cause organizers to cancel the event for 2018.
“It is very chaotic what’s going on down there, which made it harder for us to get money for the event this year,” said Batuta.“We intend to return next year.”
In the interim, added Batuta, “It will be a good time for us to think about everything, and maybe come up with a new event, design it in such a way that it would be sustainable.”
Brazil Day started out on Garnet Avenue in Pacific Beach, but outgrew the venue and has been held at Belmont Park in Mission Beach the past couple years. Bringing the spirit of the South American country to San Diego, the annual event has included more than 150 vendors displaying activities, food and entertainment for the whole family. The event has included a kids zone and a beer garden for adults.
Historically, Brazil Day has also presented non-stop entertainment throughout the day including Brazilian music and rhythmic dance ensembles.
Bird to address Pacific Beach planners Aug. 22
A representative from one of the dockless vehicle companies in town, Bird, will give a brief presentation and answer questions at the next monthly meeting of Pacific Beach Planning Group on Wednesday, Aug. 22 at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Room at Pacific Beach Taylor Branch Library, 4275 Cass St. The PB Library, closed for summer roof repairs, recently re-opened in full.
MBHS 40th reunion
The Mission Bay High School Class of 1978 is planning its 40th reunion to be held on Saturday, Aug. 25 at Mission Bay Yacht Club from 6 to 10 p.m. Come join your classmates while overlooking the bay at the MBYC. Enjoy dinner, drinks, a photo booth by Pixster and DJ with Drew Miller. Find more information and tickets by visiting mbhs1978.com/details.html.
Documentary on Fish surfboard design
Joseph Ryan – Freeway Project – will present the documentary “FISH” at the Ocean Beach Historical Society 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 16 at Water's Edge Faith Community, 1984 Sunset Cliffs Blvd. “FISH” is a look at the origin and impact of the Fish surfboard design and how it would influence surf culture 40 years later. The presenter will be Cher Pendarvis, surfer, artist and author.
The Fish surfboard design was innovated in Ocean Beach / Point Loma by Steve Lis in 1967. Local surfers who are passionate about the Fish surfboard are interviewed and seen surfing in the film, including Lis, Skip Frye, Jeff Ching, Stanley Pleskunas, Bird Huffman, Pendarvis, Mitchell Peligrin, Trevor Neilsen, Cory Edging and others. There will be appearances by surf greats Mark Richards, David Rastovich and others. For more information, visit obhistory.org.
Shelter Island Boat Launch still closed
Construction of the Shelter Island Boat Launch Facility continues to make progress. Unfortunately, the launch ramp is expected to remain closed to the public throughout August. The Port of San Diego recognizes that this extended closure impacts boaters during the busy summer season, but due to unforeseen concrete obstructions and other materials that were recently discovered during construction, it is necessary to keep the ramp closed at this time. The contractor is actively working on opening a lane as soon as construction allows.

Sorry, but you have brought the restrictions on yourselves. Many of us love dogs and we love responsible owners. Sadly, these are vastly outnumbered by the selfish, inconsiderate owners who leave dog crap all over (too lazy to clean it up), allow their dogs to bark and snarl at (and occasionally attack) other dogs and sometimes people, smile while their dog runs into someone at full speed, etc.

Parks are to be enjoyed by all. Even one or two selfish dog owners can ruin a park for dozens of people. And of course it's not one or two, it's dozens - on many days, it's the majority.

Hi:) I did not see any progression about allowing dogs into Mission Beach parks. While i have a Service Dog, there are quite a few Veterans, as well as citizens with emotional support dogs, still not allowed in the parks.

These dogs are under the stipulation of being well behaved, trained & under the control of its human.

The areas dogs are allowed are dusty, without trees to block winds areas, & of minimal enjoyment.

Our beaches host many who come for their own special family/friend events. I have witnessed tickets being given to two groups myself. Their dogs were tethered & not barking.

I myself have received less than open hostility with a licensed dog!

I suggest Just open the parks to our dogs & ticket owners whose dogs are not controlled. Over 200 acres of park, if i am not mistaken, are closed to dogs. I believe it is better to encourage good behavior & that culture of socializing our furries, than the draconian enforcement to even our Veterans!

It takes about two minutes walking along the Pacific Beach Boardwalk, Sunset Cliffs, and passing the sea-side restaurants along Ocean Beach to realize San Diego is an above-average pet-friendly community. People will bring their parrots on coffee dates and their dogs to art studios.
The beach communities love their animals, and San Diego Humane Society’s annual giving and corporate partnership manager, Bobbie Barnes, sees this year’s photo fundraiser as a chance for local pet owners to brag about their furry, feathered and scaled friends.
“As pet-lovers, we tend to take a lot of photos of our animals,” said Barnes. “This fundraiser is a great way for us to reach out to the community and have people share photos and stories of their beloved pets with us.”
For the past 25 years, the San Diego Humane Society photo fundraiser has not only helped raise money for homeless animals, but has also served as a way for the community to come together, get involved with the shelter and receive information on the nonprofit’s work. Participants go online, submit a photo of their pet with a donation, and the shelter will select photos to be featured in their annual calendar. This year, the event has already raised more than $41,000. The goal is to raise $100,000.
But, for Humane Society employees, there’s a more nostalgic factor that comes with each bio submitted alongside a photo.
“Part of the entry is about giving people the option to tell us their pet’s story and it’s really great to read about how our past adopters found their pet,” said Dariel Walker, communications specialist for San Diego Humane Society. “People come into our shelter every day to adopt animals and a lot of times we never hear from them again.
“Our staff really loves the animals here and we get to know them so well, so I think that’s something fun about the calendar. Whether it’s an animal adopted from us or another shelter, it’s great to hear people’s stories of how this pet became a real part of their family.”
Last year, there were more than 900 photo submissions, and for the 2017 calendar there were more than 1,100. While the majority of the photos are of dogs and cats dressed in hats and sunglasses riding sidecars and bicycles, there are handfuls of less-traditional pets, such as Hortense the chicken and Jackie the donkey. Previous calendars have also featured “odd couples” like Pete “the wonder cat” riding a family horse, along with a tortoise and his long-time rabbit pal.
“I do spend a lot of time in the evenings after work combing through the photos, just to take a look at some of the entries,” said Barnes. “Every year, I’m equally tickled by these photos and the stories of these animals. These owners are giving us updates on the ways these animals have changed their lives and it’s super impactful and inspiring.”
The fundraiser ends Friday, Aug. 31 and photos can be submitted at gogophotocontest.com/sdhumane2019.
Winners will be awarded tickets to San Diego Humane Society’s annual gala, the Fur Ball, which takes place Saturday, Oct. 6. Calendars will be available for purchase by late October or early November through the SD Humane Society website, sdhumane.org.

Nicole Kay Clark couldn’t be happier to now call Ocean Beach her home. “For years I had bounced between Florida, New York, and California while working in the entertainment industry,” she says.
After settling in Florida during school at Daytona State College, she was ready to make one final move.
“I had lived in Los Angeles in the past but it was too overpopulated for my liking. My mother had been living in San Diego, and offered to help me make the move so I took the opportunity and went for it! San Diego was my last shot at California. I absolutely love it here,” Clark says.
Since moving to the west coast, Clark has blossomed to take the social media and branding worlds by storm. On top of modeling and participating in brand collaborations on her own, she even co-founded her creative agency called Cool Girl Connection.
“Photographer/ videographer Ricardo De Jesus (co-founder) and I work together as a team specializing in photo/ video production, social media management, and branding strategies. Our client list is as unique as we are and ranges from fashion to food brands,” Clark says.
It was Clark’s 10-plus years modeling and acting that led her to change course and open her own agency. She decided to merge her knowledge from working at modeling agencies with her experience as a model/ actress to “come up with a game plan.”
“Cool Girl Connection was born out of my desire to inspire girls to be themselves. Industry standards weren’t making room for ‘real’ girls so I decided to create a space that encouraged people not to be ‘models’ but to be ‘cool.’ The world needs more people that believe in the power of being themselves and we’re here to help encourage it,” urges Clark.
Cool Girl Connection is making quite the name for itself in sunny San Diego, recently working with brands including Reef, Dickies Girl, Skull Candy, Volcom, Billabong, Rocket Dog, and Tipsy Elves.
Clark even works with companies that allow her to travel in order to fulfill creative branding activations. For example, she recently traveled to Costa Rica for a collaborative shoot for Dang Foods, and is currently in Puerto Rico with De Jesus shooting new content.
She constantly works on building her content and presence on social media. Between emails, photoshoots, and editing, Clark manages to remind herself to embrace the beautiful beach city she is lucky enough to call home.
“Most days at 10 a.m., I take a walk to the beach to give my eyes a break from the computer screen and allow for creative thoughts to flow. Once I get home, I write down the ideas that came to mind and start putting forth the effort to put my thoughts into action,” says the entrepreneur.
Want to know more?
If your company is in need of photo/ video content or social media management, Nicole Kay Clark can be reached at coolgirlconnection@gmail.com.
Visit nicolekayclark.com and follow on Instagram @nicolekayclark, @coolgirlconnection for more information.

Documentary on Fish surfboard design
Joseph Ryan – Freeway Project – will present the documentary “FISH” at the Ocean Beach Historical Society 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 16 at Water's Edge Faith Community, 1984 Sunset Cliffs Blvd. “FISH” is a look at the origin and impact of the Fish surfboard design and how it would influence surf culture 40 years later. The presenter will be Cher Pendarvis, surfer, artist and author.
The Fish surfboard design was innovated in Ocean Beach / Point Loma by Steve Lis in 1967. Local surfers who are passionate about the Fish surfboard are interviewed and seen surfing in the film, including Lis, Skip Frye, Jeff Ching, Stanley Pleskunas, Bird Huffman, Pendarvis, Mitchell Peligrin, Trevor Neilsen, Cory Edging and others. There will be appearances by surf greats Mark Richards, David Rastovich and others. For more information, visit obhistory.org.
Beacon wins awards at San Diego SPJ contest
Journalists with the San Diego Community Newspaper Group were honored with four awards on Tuesday, July 17 from the San Diego chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. The journalism contest winners were announced during a ceremony at Kona Kai Resort on Shelter Island.
Peninsula Beacon editor Thomas Melville earned three awards in the open photography categories. He received second place in the Feature Photo category for “Go with the flow” (Beacon, Sept. 17), and third place for News Photo for “Home for the Holidays (Beacon, Dec. 14).
He also earned second place in the Photo Essay category for his photos of Mexico City, which accompanied his story “Dia de los Muertos brings Mexico City back to life” (sdnews.com, Nov. 6).
Staff writer Victoria Davis received a third place award in the Nondaily Reporting and Writing, News Feature Story category for her story “Congregations Hope To Save Historic North Chapel At Liberty Station,” (Beacon, March 9)
Last year, Melville also earned three photo awards, plus a first place for front page design.
The 2018 contest’s judges were members of the Society of Professional Journalists in Colorado. For a complete list of the SPJ contest winners, go to spjsandiego.org.
Point Loma Nazarene named a best beach college
College Consensus, a unique new college ratings website that aggregates publisher rankings and student reviews, has published their ranking of the 25 Best Beach Colleges at collegeconsensus.com, and Point Loma Nazarene University and UC San Diego made the list.
Colleges and universities located near beaches often have the reputation of "party schools," but the coastal life can be a real advantage and benefit to the college experience. After all, a student body that embraces fun and health is a more successful student body.
With that in mind, College Consensus has ranked the top Consensus rated schools that also happen to have great beach life, according to the combination of published rankings and student reviews.
Bay City Brewing in Midway to celebrate three-year anniversary
To commemorate three years in the craft beer capital of America, Bay City Brewing Co. invites the community to its Point Loma tasting room at 3760 Hancock St. for refreshing beers and family-friendly activities Saturday, Aug. 11 from noon to 10 p.m.
The brewery will pour its Anniversary IPA and limited-edition beers on tap, including coconut and vanilla bean baltic porters and radlers. Beertenders will also unveil brand-new Bay City Pale Ale and Peninsula Lager 12-ounce cans. Hundreds of brand-new 12-ounce beer cans with San Diego-themed designs will be on display. Patrons will enjoy live music, food trucks, a kid-friendly art station and photo booth.
Over the last three years, Bay City Brewing Co. has introduced growlers of their best-selling beers on tap, advanced the role of women in beer with Pink Boots Society and has produced the most radlers in San Diego.
San Diego International Airport Wins Innovation Award
The Airport Innovation Accelerator established by American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) has recognized San Diego International Airport (SAN) as the 2018 Most Innovative Large Hub Airport award.
In its third year, this is the first time the award has been given in two categories – Large Hub and Small to Medium Hub – the latter of which went to Greater Rochester International Airport in New York. SAN highlighted its innovations in environmental sustainability, as well setting up a unique Airport Innovation Lab in the decommissioned former Commuter Terminal.
“Our innovation focus is informed by the unique characteristics of this airport,” said Airport Authority president and CEO Kimberly J. Becker. “Being right next to San Diego Bay drives our commitment to environmental stewardship. And operating on a small, 661-acre footprint drives us to think of new ways to fund necessary improvements, while always enhancing the passenger experience.”
Two of SAN’s unique environmental innovations are its air conditioning condensate water collection and its Good Traveler carbon-offset programs. The former captures water that dripped onto the airfield, posing safety and run-off risks, and recycles it for non-potable water uses. The Good Traveler program – which has already been adopted by other airports – allows the purchase of credits to offset air travel.
The Airport Innovation Lab is a working terminal space where pre-existing ideas can be tested and accelerated, potentially leading to contracts with SAN, as well as entrée to other airports. The Lab will soon engage 10 companies working to solve two challenges – airport parking and helping passengers with unique needs navigate the airport environment. Its first success was launching @YourGate at SAN, delivering food and retail items to passengers at their gates. That service has since expanded to the Port Authority of NY-NJ airports.
The award was presented July 15 at the AAAE’s Airport Innovation Forum in Atlanta. The Airport Innovation Accelerator, which selects the award winners, was established to serve as a hub for business, aviation and regulatory stakeholders to drive creativity and help build the airports of the future.
MBHS 40th reunion
The Mission Bay High School Class of 1978 is planning its 40th reunion to be held on Saturday, Aug. 25 at Mission Bay Yacht Club from 6 to 10 p.m. Come join your classmates while overlooking the bay at the MBYC. Enjoy dinner, drinks, a photo booth by Pixster and DJ with Drew Miller. Find more information and tickets by visiting mbhs1978.com/details.html.
Celebration to conclude a new Torah Scroll
In time for the Jewish New Year, a new Torah Scroll will be welcomed by Chabad of Pacific Beach on Sunday, Aug. 5. The Torah scroll, one of the Jewish people's most sacred objects, has roughly 600,000 handwritten letters. With a feather and special mix for ink, the scribe writes the five books of Moses on roughly 54 pieces of parchment. The average process takes over a year to produce the beautiful workmanship of a Torah Scroll.
Just in time for the High Holidays – Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur – a new Torah Scroll will be completed at Chabad of Pacific Beach, a Jewish outreach, educational and social service organization. Participants of the celebration will help an expert scribe complete the final letters of this magnificent scroll. At 11 a.m. community members, leaders and Rabbis will join this event at Chabad of Pacific Beach, 4240 Gresham St. All are welcome to come join the celebration.
For more information regarding this or any of Chabad's activities, visit ChabadPB.org.
Bait Bike program picking up speed
The Bait Bike program created to catch thieves using GPS tracking on vehicles costing enough to make their theft a felony rather than a misdemeanor is working.
Best of all, the conviction rate for those nabbed is 100 percent, say police.
“The District Attorney has assigned us a prosecutor for all our cases,” said San Diego Police officer Daniel Niefer, who has been with the bait bike program since its inception in 2014. “Since last year, we’ve had 22 felony arrests.”
Niefer said, with two bike-theft cases pending, that 129 of 131 total arrests since the start of the program have resulted in convictions.
In June 2017, District 2 Councilmember Lorie Zapf announced at a press conference she was successful in getting $3,000 in funding for the bait-bike program from the City's budget. San Diego Police Department was on hand then to discuss the bait-bike program, which uses a GPS tracking system to alert them within minutes of when a bait bike is taken.
Niefer said a couple of criminals convicted of running illegal bike chop shops where stolen bikes are repurposed, have served prison time for the crime.
“The word is out,” said Niefer that the bait-bike program is in place and doing its job.
Niefer feels good about being a part of the enforcement effort. “I originated the program,” he said. “We’ve gotten [thieves] convicted and off the street.”
City to install bike racks
In its continuing effort to promote alternative transportation and improve bicycle infrastructure, the City of San Diego has announced plans to install hundreds of bicycle racks in neighborhoods citywide. The City, which has already designated more than 50 bicycle racks for the downtown area as part of its comprehensive Downtown Mobility Plan, is also seeking input via local business improvement districts (BIDs) to provide recommendations for additional bike rack installation locations in the community.
The proposed 50 downtown bike rack locations correspond with developing cycle tracks – also known as protected bike lanes – being installed to improve ease and safety of bicycle ridership downtown.
The bicycle rack initiative, dubbed “BIDs to Bike Racks,” is a collaborative effort between the Mayor’s Office and the City’s Transportation and Storm Water and Economic Development departments, and impacts every business improvement district across the city. Collaborating directly with BIDs will help achieve the goal to place bike racks in strategic locations within each community that best serve cyclists.
-The addition of hundreds of new bike racks throughout the city will complement the improved and developing bicycle infrastructure and offer more places to safely secure bicycles.
-Cyclists interested in locating existing bike racks are encouraged to use the City’s interactive map, which allows for convenient ride planning. Increasing bicycle ridership is a key strategy of the City’s Climate Action Plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
-The City of San Diego was recently named a “Bike Friendly Community” by The League of American Bicyclists.
“We’re building a more bike-friendly city every day and these new bicycle racks will encourage more folks to get around on two wheels instead of four,” said Mayor Kevin L. Faulconer. “As we continue to improve transportation options citywide, it’s important to provide an orderly place for cyclists and casual riders to store their bikes so the public spaces in our neighborhoods are free from clutter.”
New Fire-Rescue chief
After a three-month national search, Mayor Kevin L. Faulconer announced on July 2 the appointment of Heartland Fire and Rescue Chief Colin Stowell as the next chief of the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department (SDFD). The City Council confirmed the appointment on July 23.
Stowell began his firefighting career at SDFD in 1988 and served in every rank in the department, including assistant chief, before leaving in 2016 to lead Heartland Fire. Stowell, who was strongly recommended by both the community and professional interview panels, brings a wide-range of experience that will benefit the department and its more than 1,200 firefighters, lifeguards and support staff.
“Chief Stowell was born and raised here in San Diego and spent the majority of his firefighting career protecting our neighborhoods and our residents,” Faulconer said. “He has the right experience at the right time to continue the major investments we’re making in public safety and lead this department into the future. It’s great to bring Chief Stowell back to SDFD where it all started.”
Stowell will take over the department following recent significant investments made by Faulconer and the City Council, including new firefighting helicopters and the construction or renovation of nine fire stations over the last three years.

At 198 feet long, the Airbus A340's wingspan is similar to that of the larger Boeing 747-200. Each wing also has a 9 foot tall winglet instead of the wingtip fences found on earlier Airbus aircraft. / Photo by Thomas Melville

There’s been plenty of commotion the past couple years with Point Loma residents irked by alleged flight-path changes negatively impacting their lifestyles from noisy airplanes from San Diego International Airport.
So it is not surprising the huge “window rattling” Lufthansa Airbuses flying low over Point Loma five afternoons a week, has caused consternation among many.
One of those is lifelong Peninsulan David Dick.
“San Diego International Airport is not suitable for these ‘jumbo jets’ – including the Airbus A340 (Lufthansa) and the 777 (daily London flights),” said Dick.
“Not only is the runway barely adequate to handle one of these aircraft when fully-fueled for a non-stop trip to Europe, because they’re so loaded, they take off low and make and spread a great deal more noise,” Dick said. “The A340, in particular, is problematic due to its four engines (the same is true when BA swaps out their 777 with one of their ancient 747s).”
But not everyone has disdain for the big, noisy new plane. Point Loman Kyle Griffith, for one, actually “enjoys” the Lufthansa Airbus.
“I do, I love arcane,” said Griffith. “It’s one of the reasons we moved into this neighborhood. I like hearing them take off.”
Griffith admits to being something of an unorthodox airplane aficionado when it comes to exotic aircraft like the Airbus A340 manufactured in Toulouse, France.
“It’s big,” said Griffith, noting the A340, “Takes off over our house (on Browning Street) going pretty low and slow. It’s just magnificent to watch.”
In mid-March, German airline Lufthansa inaugurated non-stop service between San Diego and Frankfurt. Between 3:10 and 3:30 p.m. every day except Wednesdays and Fridays, the massive plane lifts off headed home roaring over Point Loma.
The A340 seats about 375 passengers and has a range of 7,300 miles, easily traversing the 5,800 miles from San Diego to Frankfurt.
The airbus, noted Griffith, has a lower-pitched noise than a Boeing jet. “It does cause a little bit of window rattling,” he allowed.
Nonetheless, Griffith, a schoolteacher along with his wife, looks forward to Lufthansa takeoffs.
“For me, as soon as I hear it – I go outside so I can watch,” he said, adding, it’s a quick thrill because a Lufthansa flyover “only lasts 30 seconds, a minute max.”
Of his predilection for the massive Lufthansa Airbus, Griffith said, “I’m weird. I realize I’m the odd man out.”
For his part, Dick believes San Diego International Airport should be limited to twin-engine jets that are capable of reaching a certain climb angle immediately upon takeoff, just like the innumerable 737s and A320s. “For these long-haul flights, that would limit the airlines to using the 787 or A350,” he said.
San Diego International Airport is owned and operated by the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority. In 2015, traffic at San Diego International exceeded 20 million passengers, serving more than 500 scheduled operations carrying about 50,000 passengers daily.
While primarily serving domestic traffic, San Diego now has nonstop international flights to Canada, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
San Diego International Airport is the busiest, single-runway airport in the United States, and the third-busiest single runway in the world, behind Mumbai and London Gatwick.
Due to the airport's short usable-runway, close proximity to the skyscrapers of downtown San Diego, and steep landing approach as a result of the nearby Peninsular ranges, San Diego International Airport has been called "the busiest, most difficult single runway in the world."
Airbus A340
The Airbus A340 is a long-range, four-engine, wide-body commercial passenger jet airliner that was developed and produced by the European aerospace company Airbus.
It seats up to 375 passengers in the standard variants and 440 in the stretched 600 series. Depending on the model, it has a range of 6,700 to 9,000 nautical miles.
Its distinguishing features are four high-bypass turbofan engines and three-bogie main landing gear.
At 198 feet long, the wingspan is similar to that of the larger Boeing 747-200. Each wing also has a 9 foot tall winglet instead of the wingtip fences found on earlier Airbus aircraft.
Customers Lufthansa and Air France placed the A340 into service in March 1993.

you can enjoy two more A340 departures per week...Edelweiss to Zurich! The A340 is well known (or notorious?) for its rather flat ascent compared to a 777 or A330. Twin engines planes are overpowered and they would still have to be able to ascend if one engine failed at take off. The A340 having four engines is only required to be able to continue its ascent with three...

I too enjoy the Lufthansa Airbus. It flies right over us here on Homer. Having worked in the aviation industry and in flight safety and at times sitting in the cockpit for takeoffs.I still marvel at the aerodynamics involved in take off. Especially at challenging airports. Knowing pilot training,these pilots can handle the challenges with the short runway. We have Fedex, UPS,Japan Air and Edelweiss which runs the Airbus 340-300 as well.With the Quieter Home modifications, its not bad.

Water main break swamps Loma Portal neighborhood A Loma Portal neighborhood's quiet afternoon was disrupted earlier this week when a hillside water main burst, causing what officials termed "severe damage" to at least two homes. Bill McGuigan, ow...

Brasileiros do things their own way at Ski BeachAt a late-afternoon gathering where Brazilian men play soccer against one another once a week, one of their sons is sporting a light-blue-and-white-striped jersey. Near heresy in the soccer-crazy h...